Are You Happy Now?

Disclaimer: all characters and copyright belong to SM.

Chapter Six

Charlie's face was livid as he stonily watched Bella and Jacob climb out of the truck. He didn't say anything as they warily approached. His expression said it all.

"I'm sorry, Dad." Bella immediately began to babble an apology. "I know you must have been worried, but I was with Jake."

Charlie's eyes narrowed. He still didn't say anything, which made both teens very uncomfortable.

"It's actually my fault, Charlie." Jacob decided to fall on his sword. "I was the one who came over to see her. So, you should blame me."

"That's not quite true, Dad." Bella rushed to his defence. "It was both of us."

Charlie looked from one to the other. The more excuses they made, the less inclined he was to believe a word of what they were saying. He was still angry with Billy and what had happened between them. He couldn't put out of his head how devastated his daughter had been when Jacob had rejected her the day before. He couldn't understand how she could be so easily forgiving. He wasn't in a forgiving mood. And the fact that he had woken up to find Bella missing again, just brought back painful memories of when she had run away before. That had been because of a boy. He thought it had happened all over again.

"Get inside the house." He ordered.

Bella exchanged a pensive glance with Jacob before they both began to move toward the front porch.

"Not you." Charlie said harshly as he blocked Jacob's path. "You're not welcome here. Go home, Jacob."

"Dad!" Bella exclaimed in horror. "What are you doing? I know you're mad but you can't ban Jake from the house. Just give us a chance to explain."

Charlie shook his head. "Not this time. Billy made it quite clear we were not welcome on the res. And after the way Jake acted toward you yesterday, I'm shocked that you're even talking to him. No, Bella, I've reached my limit this time. You've already been badly treated by one boy; I won't let you go through it again."

Jacob was stunned by Charlie's assumption that he was anything like Edward fucking Cullen. He had known the police chief his whole life. The guy had been like a second father to him. He couldn't believe that Charlie was being so unrelenting. "So, it's one strike and I'm out?" He asked incredulously.

Uncertainty flashed in Charlie's brown eyes for a moment as he looked at Jacob's devastated face. He almost found himself relenting, but he couldn't shake the memory of how distressed his daughter had been the day before. Jacob's actions had nearly sent her spiralling into depression again. It was something he couldn't forget. Bella came first. He had to take care of her and make sure it never happened again. She was still so emotionally fragile.

"Just go home, Jacob."

Jacob knew it wasn't worth arguing with Charlie in this mood. In that moment, the flash of anger and resentment protected him from the pain. "If that what you want." He muttered.

"Jake, no, don't go!" Bella cried, attempting to follow him.

"Bella, stay where you are." Charlie said sternly.

"You're being ridiculous." Bella's own temper flared. "You can't stop us seeing each other."

"I'm just looking out for you, Bella. Now get inside." Charlie was losing patience. "We'll discuss this more later."

"You bet we will." Bella snapped. "This is not over." She looked around for Jacob but to her trepidation he had already disappeared. He had snuck away while they were arguing with each other. She glared at her father, then ran inside the house before he could remonstrate with her further.

The dawn brought with it a new freshness to the light, as if the world had been upgraded to some higher definition. As Jacob ran home in his wolf form his unhappiness was killing him. There were times his emotions were bruised, the same way as with a physical bruise, it takes time to come up and really show themselves. Yet this time it really hurt. Before he had a chance to mitigate them, reduce them, render them more manageable, but Charlie's rejection had hit him hard. As difficult as it was to drag his body home for some endorphin raising exercise, one thing he knew was that there was no way that Charlie could keep him away from Bella. The police chief could put all the rules he liked in place, just like Sam's order, he would get around them.

The next morning breakfast at the Swan house was frosty at best. Charlie repeatedly tried to engage his daughter in conversation, only for her to give him curt one-word answers, until he ended up losing his temper with her stubbornness. She was refusing to listen to his side of the story. She had no idea what it had been like, waking up, to find her gone. It had brought back everything that had happened when she had run off because of Edward Cullen. That time she had come back injured. Thankfully he was now out of her life.

Then she had become friends with Jacob. He had been overjoyed. He loved the boy like a son. It was like déjà vu all over again when things broke down between them and she disappeared because of a boy. It may have only been one night, but it frightened Charlie.

He had been the one to deal with the fall out when Jacob had been ignoring Bella. He had witnessed the frantic phone calls she made daily; he had seen the tears she had cried when Jacob made no contact. He had even attempted to call on her behalf, speaking to Billy, only to get fobbed off with ridiculous excuses. And the sharp words he had exchanged with his best friend could not easily be forgotten.

No, Charlie was determined that his daughter was not going to ruin her life over another boy. Not even if he loved that boy like the son he never had. Jacob had offered up no reasonable excuse for his behaviour toward Bella. And she refused to tell him. So, what was he supposed to do? They had backed him into a corner and given him no choice. He had been too easy in the past. It was time to stand up and put some rules in place. Anything to protect his little girl.

"You can hate me as much as you want, Bells." Charlie said, gathering up his cereal bowl and rising from his chair to dump it in the sink. "I'm just looking out for you. Nothing more. I don't like this anymore than you do, but your welfare comes first."

Bella finally broke. "I don't hate you, Dad. But you're wrong about Jake. He had his reasons for acting the way he did."

"Such as?" Charlie demanded.

Bella paled, lowering her gaze to her half uneaten breakfast. "I can't tell you. I'll be betraying his confidence."

Charlie's expression hardened. "I see." He said coolly. "It sounds like nothing but feeble excuses to me. I've got a lot on my plate right now, Bells. Two tourists have gone missing off a trail outside crescent lake." There was an edge to his voice which made Bella concerned. "This wolf problem is getting out of hand."

Bella was momentarily stunned. She looked at Charlie in alarm. "What makes you think the wolves are involved?"

"Because of the evidence. There was- "He hesitated. "There were tracks, and…some blood."

"Dad, I'm sure its not the wolves." Bella pleaded. She reached out and took his hand as he began to leave.

"How would you know? Look, Bella, I have to go. I don't want you seeing, Jake. Why don't you try and make plans with your other friends? Haven't you been neglecting them? Maybe give Angela a call?"

Bella didn't acknowledge him. Her head was filled with worry about the new information she had just learned. The authorities thought that the wolves were responsible for the tourists going missing. She knew that wasn't the case, but no matter how she pleaded there was no convincing her father. She needed to warn Jacob right away.

"I'm going now, Bells." Charlie said, trying to capture her attention.

Bella looked up at him, her expression vague. "Okay."

"You'll be staying around the house today?" Charlie checked.

"Yes." Bella got up from the table and made a great show of starting the washing up.

Giving up on getting any civil words out of his only child, Charlie shrugged on his jacket and looped his gun belt around his waist. "Bye then, kiddo." He sighed, before finally taking his leave.

As soon as he was gone Bella went to the phone. She stared at it for a minute, hoping upon hope that when she rang the Black's that it would be Jacob that answered and not Billy. She had no idea if Jacob's father had any idea of their reconciliation.

Luck wasn't with her. It was Billy who answered.

"Hello."

"Hey, Billy." Bella said curtly. She tried to sound more friendly as she continued. She was desperate to speak to Jacob. "Can I talk to Jacob, please?"

"Jake's not here, Bella."

What a shock. "Do you know where he is?"

"He's out with friends." Billy's voice was careful.

"Oh, really?" Bella couldn't withhold the sarcasm from her tone. "Anyone I know? Quil? Or Sam perhaps?"

"No." Billy said suspiciously. "He's not with Quil. And why would you mention Sam?"

"No reason." Bella cursed herself for mentioning Sam. "Is he with Embry then?"

Billy seemed more comfortable confirming this. "Yeah, he's with Embry."

That was enough for Bella. Embry was one of the wolves, which meant that Jacob was running with the pack. That meant that a little visit to La Push was in order.

"Well, thanks for confirming all I needed to know, Billy."

"What do you mean by that?" Billy asked sharply.

"Nothing." Bella muttered and hung up.

Bella drove to La Push determined to wait. She would sit out front of Jacob's house all day if she had to until he returned. The boy was going to have to come home sometime. Her mind was so preoccupied with worry, that the journey to the reservation seemed to take forever. Finally, the forest began to thin, and she knew she would soon be able to see the first little houses of the reservation.

Walking away, along the left side of the road, was a tall boy with a baseball cap. Even from behind she recognised Quil, though he was bigger than the last time she had seen him. She remembered Jacob's sudden insane growth spurt and it made her wonder.

Crossing over to the wrong side of the road to stop next to him, she saw Quil look up when he heard the roar from the truck's engine. Bella rolled down her window. "Hey, Quil, want a lift?"

Quil's expression was one of surprise. "Bella?"

"Yes, its me."

Quil's eyes shocked Bella now she got a closer look at him, they were bleak, brooding, his forehead creased with worry.

"Are you okay, Quil?"

Quil stared at her morosely. "Fine."

"Get in."

"Sure, thanks." Quil shuffled around the front of the truck and opened the passenger door to climb in.

"Where to?"

"My house is on the north side, back behind the store." Quil explained.

"Have you seen Jacob today?" Bella asked, desperate for some news on where he might be.

Quil scowled as he stared out of the windshield. "From a distance." He replied dully.

"A distance?" Bella echoed.

"I tried to follow them-he was with Embry." Quil's voice was low, hard to hear over the engine. Bella leaned closer. "I know they saw me. But they turned and just disappeared into the trees. I don't think they were alone-I think Sam and his crew might have been with them." His expression got darker. "I've been stumbling around in the forest for an hour, trying to find them. I just barely found the road again when you drove up."

Bella felt sorry for Quil. He reminded her of herself only a day or so ago. She wished she could tell him that his friend's hadn't abandoned him. That everything was going to be okay. But it wasn't her place. "Don't get too downhearted, Quil. It'll work out."

Quil stared at her bitterly. "How would you know?" He sneered. "Jacob's as bad as the others. He never leaves Sam's side."

"Its not what you think, Quil. Sam is not the enemy." The words slipped out before Bella realised what she'd said.

"Do you know something?" Quil's suspicions were immediately aroused.

"No."

"You've seen and talked to Jake, haven't you?"

Bella was a shitty liar. "No."

"You're lying. You have. I can see it on your face. I don't believe this." Quil snarled. "So, I'm the only one being frozen out. Unbelievable!" He began to shake with anger.

"Quil, you need to calm down." Bella said in alarm.

They were in La Push now, and the old truck was barely crawling along the empty road. Bella could see the village's only store not too far ahead.

"Your house is near here?" Bella asked desperately.

Quil didn't seem to hear. He was too focused on finding out that Bella had been in touch and talking to Jacob and possibly Embry. He was livid that he was the only one being kept in the dark. He made no move to get out. Instead, he sat tight, tremors running violently up and down his arms. There was a sheen of sweat of his forehead.

"I'm not leaving until you tell me what's going on with Jake and Embry?" Quil's fists were clenched in his lap. His words had come out almost like a growl. "You know, don't you?"

A/N-thanks for reading!